Below the White Cliffs
by Marie-Fairbotham
Summary: Ellie Earnshaw comes across the bizarre interview between her colleague and Ms Tallis and begins to learn the secrets of her families past. AU
1. Prologue

The tape began to play once more

"_I'd like to talk now about your new novel, Atonement, which is coming out in a few days to coincide with your birthday. It's your twenty- first novel..."_

_Before John could finish the old woman interrupted, informing him that in fact it was to be her last novel. Of course John had not expected this, on the contrary, there had been no discussion as to where the interview would lead but her agent had said nothing about this being her last novel. He bit his lip and continued, hoping that perhaps this information was exclusive._

"_Oh, really? You mean you're retiring?"_

"_No, dying."_

_There was a pause that probably only lasted for a few moments but it was evident that this news had put him slightly off track and before her could reassemble his questions and thoughts Ms Tallis resumed_

"_My doctor tells me I have something called vascular dementia; which is_

_essentially a continuous series of tiny strokes. Your brain gradually_

_closes down. You lose words, you lose your memory: which, for a writer, is pretty much the point. That's why I could finally write this book; and why, of course, it's my last novel. Strangely enough, it would be just as accurate to call it my first novel. I wrote several drafts as far back as my time at St. Thomas's Hospital during the war. I just couldn't ever find the way to do it."_

"_Because the novel is autobiographical, is that right?" John finally questioned, trying to ignore what the author had just informed not only him but also the viewing audience, she was dying and not only that she had explained in rather a detailed manner the way in which she was to leave this life. _

"_Yes, entirely. I haven't changed any names, including my own."_

"_And was that the problem?"_

"_No. I had for a very long time decided to tell the absolute truth. And I think..." The hesitation was evident in her eyes._

"_You've read the book, you'll understand why. I got first-hand accounts of all the events I didn't personally witness, conditions in prison, the evacuation of Dunkirk, everything. But the effect of all this honesty was rather...pitiless, you see. I couldn't any longer imagine what purpose would be served by it."_

"_By what? By honesty?" He was becoming intrigued now, why did honesty play such a major role in having her story told? She had already atoned with her sibling, was it to teach her readers the morals she wished she had had all those years ago?_

"_Or reality." Briony replied "Because, in fact, I was too much of a coward to go and see my sister in June, 1940. I never made that journey to Balham. So the scene in which I confess to them is invented, imagined. And, in fact, could never have happened because...Robbie Turner died of septicaemia at Bray Dunes on the first of June 1940, the last day of the evacuation and I was never able to put things_

_right with my sister Cecilia because she was killed on the 15th_

_of October, 1940 by the bomb that destroyed the gas and water mains above Balham tube station. So my sister and Robbie never had the time together they both so longed for and deserved, which, ever since, I've...always felt I prevented. But what sense of hope or satisfaction_

_could a reader derive from an ending like that? So, in the book, I wanted to give Robbie and Cecilia what they lost out on in life. I'd like to think this wasn't weakness or evasion, but a final act of kindness. She thinks for a moment. I gave them their happiness._

The tape paused with the final image of Ms Tallis leaving its evidence upon the television screen.


	2. Ellie Earnshaw

The tape paused with the final image of Ms Tallis leaving its evidence upon the television screen.

"Haven't you watched that thing 15 times already?"

Ellie chuckled to herself, finally laying the remote control to rest upon her bureau as her tired eyes finally met Tom's.

"How long have you been stood there?" She asked, noticing the two steaming hot coffees that were grasped in each hand, he had obviously made the 10 minute journey to Starbucks as no one in their right mind would ever dare to drink the gritty residue that they sold at the canteen below. He didn't answer but instead placed the cups upon the desk that Ellie had snuggled herself behind and came beside her, wrapping his arms lazily around her torso as his lips showered hers with an array of tiny kisses.

"Tom" she interrupted, unhooking his arms from around her slim waist. Although she enjoyed the attention it had caused her a lot of trouble in the past; her manager still questioned whether it was wise to allow two people to have a working relationship when they already had a physical one. She smiled slightly coiling her mousey brown hair behind her ears as her hand reached for the caffeine infused drink her body was craving for.

"So, are you going to give the tape to the publishing department or are you going to keep it locked up in here with you?" Tom was known for his teasing manner, it was what had attracted Ellie to him in the first place. She hesitated, unsure of her answer, she had been pestered for the return of the footage for almost a week now as the interview was to be shown in only a few days time, and yet Ellie had ignored the editing department's demands. Since she could remember, Ellie had always been a book worm, it was known by her friends as her Achilles heel for in her eyes anything could be postponed or cancelled when there was a book to be read. Over the years she had been a fond reader of Ms Tallis however with each book Ellie seemed to be both inspired and angered by the author's work. It seemed to Ellie that with each emotional situation Tallis always seemed to be holding something back, as though she was enraptured with emotions that were too complicated for a reader to ever grasp or understand, it had been a flaw of hers for some time and even though she accomplished many awards and recognition this restrain was always picked upon. With every novel that Ellie read she always felt distanced from the author for not once did Briony place part of herself into her characters, until now. By the side of the remote control laid a copy of Atonement, Briony's new book which Ellie had been reading and re-reading since it had been given to her by John Holmes, her esteemed colleague who had not only given her the unpublished manuscript and tape but had also conducted the interview, a feat which Ellie was unashamedly jealous of. Why could she not give the tape up? Was it because after so many years Briony had finally done the unthinkable and released her sheltered emotions on the page or was it because of the dramatic irony of the whole situation? Ellie was unsure.

"Ellie?" No longer was Briony's face upon the television screen, instead the tape was in Tom's hands. "I'm taking this back to the editing department before you end up spending the night here!"

At first Ellie wanted to stop him, but before she spoke she realised that no matter how many times she watched the tape back she would not find the answers she craved.

"Your right" Ellie sighed collapsing back upon the nylon seat. "Take it before the editing room have my guts for garters."

As Tom was about to depart he remembered something that he had meant to ask days before but due to Ellie's work commitments had completely forgotten about. His head coiled from around the door. "Before I forget, this weekend, I wondered whether you'd like to come with me to the new exhibition opening at the Tate, might aswell have some company while reporting"

"No can do" Ellie replied without viewing him in the eyes, she hated letting him down "This weekend I have the dreaded family gathering, grandparents included and who knows what mayhem and gossip will occur"

It was a while after Tom's departure that Ellie finally left her 5th floor office and began the 4 hour journey to the Yorkshire dales where, hiding between acres of forest stood majestically her grandmother's home. The house had been in the family for years and several generations of the Earnshaw clan had grown up there including Ellie herself who had found her love for literature in her grandfather's library. He had regularly found her there nestled in a fortress of books with Alice in Wonderland imprinted in her hands. He always had that same loving smile and begged profusely for her to read out loud so he too could enjoy the wonders of a childhood favourite. As Ellie's battered Clio hurtled down the motorway she began to light a cigarette and pondered on old memories of the Earnshaw residence till finally, as dawn broke over the valley she realised home was only a mile away and the aroma of fresh morning dew filled the car from her opened window. It had been too long since she had been home and no doubt her extended absence would be commented on at some point during her stay.

As the car chugged up the perfectly paved drive Ellie noticed that the gardens surrounding the house were already alive as rabbits upon the cobbles darted to and fro to dodge the oncoming car while geese flew upon the horizon to find a spot on the west garden's lake. How had it taken two long years for Ellie to return to such a majestic place?

Finally the house came into view; its grand facade over shadowing the entire splendour of the grounds with its intricate Georgian columns and long white windows. This was home Ellie thought as she parked her car next to her grandfathers and tried not to compare them both in size and value, instead, she judged her own appearance, scrapping back her long mousey brown hair into a hair band before applying a layer of lip gloss to her slightly chapped lips. For a finishing touch a dousing of perfume was sprayed upon her person to hide the cigarettes that had been savoured during her journey it was still one little habit that she had not indulged her family upon just yet.

"Miss Eleanor! We weren't expecting you until tomorrow!" i" It had been 2 years since she had seen her grandmother's housekeeper, Ms Matthews yet still she carried that knowing gaze which seemed to bore deep within Ellie and pull out her deepest secrets, Ellie swore as teenager that she could read her mind and knew that it was her who had been having a few crafty cigarettes in the orangery. Even now as she stood before her Ellie was still nervous that anything could be exposed.

"I wanted to beat the weekend traffic, besides I haven't been home in years"

"Too right missy" replied Ms Matthews "We've been wondering when you'd come back, no doubt the lights of London have been keeping you away, but as I always say whatever London can do we can do twice better here!"

Ellie forced a smile as Ms Matthews in her deep accent continued to ramble on how society in Yorkshire was changing with all these "big wigs" from the large cities moving in and changing the community atmosphere of the nearby villages.

"...As I was saying to Lily who lives in Pocklington the village spirit needs to be kept intact and she said, NOAH!"

_"Noah?"_ Ellie thought, seeing that Ms Matthew's gaze had moved, turning to see herself she noticed the man behind her, clutching a wheelbarrow filled with what seemed to be a broken statue. His deep blue eyes stared at Ellie for a moment before returning to Ms Matthew's all seeing gaze.

"Just where are you taking that?"

"To the work shed for some much needed repair" By the exhausted expression upon his tanned features this intrusion by Ms Matthews was a regular occurrence.

"Did I give you permission to move such an object? Did Mr Waters? Or Mr or Mrs Earnshaw?" by this point Ms Matthews had moved from her position on the stone steps to examine the wheelbarrow and its contents. Ellie took this as her opportunity and before she could be sucked into the argument that was brewing she made it into the house.

**Sorry its so short I'm really busy at the moment. Please stay with me on this one I have some big ideas but its going to take some time to set the scene, please review constructive criticism is welcome :)**


	3. Secrets

**I do apologise for the lateness of this post, I got quite involved with my recent Tudor story and couldn't find the drive to continue with this one, however I've got my writers cap firmly on and as it has recently been the anniversary of D- day I only thought that it was somehow fitting to write another chapter. **

It hadn't taken long for Ellie to hunt down her grandmother. The house had stayed the same since she was a little girl and she knew that no doubt Mrs Earnshaw would be hiding with her flowers in the orangery or tucked away with her grandfather in the library, reviewing the literature that they had grown up with. Ellie's first guess had been correct for hiding between the dusty pink roses sat her grandmother reading a slightly worn copy of "Pride and Prejudice". It had been tradition for Mrs Earnshaw to re-read the worn pages of the classic every year and Ellie was happy to find that her grandmother wasn't breaking with tradition; it reminded her that although she may appear to be old and frail her spirit still burned brightly.

"Eleanor!" At once the novel lodged in the old woman's hand was placed upon the nearby coffee table as she rose from the small wicker chair to greet her grandchild who had been absent for far too long. "We weren't expecting you till tomorrow my dear" at once Ellie was flung back into her childhood as her grandma's arms encapsulated her. She was once again a little girl in pink picking heather in the fields and reading upon her grandfather's lap, the worries of an adult had disintegrated in those few seconds till finally she unravelled herself and helped her grandmother back into her chair.

"So, I see you dyed your hair and what is that!" Ellie stared at the diamond ring on her left hand and immediately began to try to take it off, it had been one of the many things she had listed to do before arriving and taking off her engagement ring was one of them. It was true Ellie did love Tom, more than she would say however telling her family was something she wanted to leave for a little while yet. Her mother was a busy body and Ellie knew that as soon as her engagement was announced her mother would be pestering her to choose a date and pick a cake, big weddings were not Ellie's style although with Tom's rather large family Ellie knew it would be highly unlikely that a small wedding would be possible.

"Oh" Ellie replied, finally placing the ring in her pocket "that news can be left for another time, you know what mother is like"

"Yes I know exactly what your mother is like, don't worry sweetheart, your secrets safe with me although I had hoped you would bring the lover boy with you" Mrs Earnshaw gave that all knowing wink, it was obvious why Ellie hadn't brought Tom with her but in a sense it was understandable.

"He's busy"

"That's your excuse for everything, you're always too busy, and that's why you need a break so you can visit your ailing grandparents more often. Two years is far too long! Your brother lives in France for Pete sake and he visits every Christmas." Ellie didn't respond, she knew in her heart her grandma was right but being so career focused meant that her family life suffered, she had no social life whatsoever and it was a shock that she was even engaged for the only time Ellie and Tom spent together was in the office.

"So how is work anyways, have they given you a promotion yet?"

"No not yet, but I'm working on it! My next book review is on Briony Tallis' new release Atonement, Grandma I can honestly say I have never read anything more thought provoking in all my life"

"That woman's work is garbage; she should stick to writing tabloid gossip instead of passing herself off as a novelist"

"I know you hate her work but this book is different, it's about her own life, her experiences during the war, it's about her sister and.."

"Her sister?"

"Yes, and a boy, Robbie I think his name was, and how she misinterpreted an event a..."

"I don't want to hear anymore about it"

"But grandma I think ..."

"I SAID I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYMORE ABOUT IT!"

In the years since Ellie was born not once had she heard her grandmother raise her voice, but in those few minutes she had witnessed a side upon which she had never seen before for in her grandmother's eyes was not anger but fear, pure childish fear as though the woman had discovered the bogeyman was real. Ellie did not wait to hear an apology, she had not come home to be shouted at, instead she left the orangery as her grandmother pleaded for her to comeback but this only spurred Ellie on into a jog, and then into a sprint which lead her past the main hall and through the white rimmed double doors into the gardens. Since Ellie became of fan of Briony Tallis' work her grandparents, mostly her grandmother had voiced their opinions on the woman strongly. If it wasn't Briony's novels it was her attitudes on life or simply how she wore her hair, Ellie had never been sure why but under no circumstance had her grandmother been unwillingly to listen, even if it was about Ms Tallis, yet today was different. Ellie had obviously pulled the wrong strings.

The dew of dawn still clung to each blade of grass as Ellie marched forward past the west garden and into the clump of bushes and trees that separated the Manor gardens and the surrounding fields. It was in these bushes that as a child Ellie had dedicated her time and patience into constructing her very own sanctuary. It had been on the day of her father's death that she had first found the small clearing in between the trees and slowly but surely she began to make the space her own adding her favourite table and chairs and the small plastic tea set her father had bought her for her 5th birthday. It became the one place she could truly call her own and she had often been in the belief that it was in this little sanctuary that she could talk to her father when she needed him the most.

As she finally reached the clearing it was to Ellie's dismay that her hiding place was already occupied.

"I see that in my absence my den has been put to good use"

Noah raised his head from the newspaper in his hand as plumes of grey smoke left the end of his smouldering cigarette. The tea service had gone but the chairs and table were still there as a lasting reminder of Ellie's childhood. Almost as a reflex Noah left his chair and pulled the cigarette from his lips.

"I apologise miss, I thought this place had been deserted years ago."

"Please...don't call me miss, I'm Ellie and your welcome to use this area to your leisure so long as you can afford to lend me a cigarette."

"Ellie? No it can't be! I suppose you don't remember me, I'm Mrs Matthew's nephew, I used to visit on weekends, we used to play pirates in your grandfathers library"

"Noah? I thought I recognised you earlier! I wanted to say something but it looked as though your Aunt was giving you a hard time."

"What's new? This is only a temporary job but still my aunt believes it's her duty to boss me around!"

Ellie chuckled as she pulled up a chair, taking a cigarette from the packet that laid upon the small plastic table and for what seemed like hours Noah and Ellie caught up on the years that had passed them. Ellie could still see the innocent little boy lurking in Noah's eyes but knew those days were past them both.

"So what is it like working for my Grandparents? I hope they pay you well!"

"They pay me well enough" Noah replied inhaling the intoxicating fumes of his third cigarette "but I must say they are an interesting duo"

"What do you mean?"

"Well the two of them in that big house, they must have hundreds of secrets lurking behind each door, I'm sure your grandfather has thousands just on fighting in WWII alone"

"WWII? My grandfather never fought in WWII he was a doctor and worked in St Thomas down in London"

"Well you would never guess what with all the D-day posters in the attic and I'm sure I came across an old regimental army uniform"

"Th..thats absurd how could..." but as Ellie thought about it she too had some vague memories of army memorabilia lurking about the house yet upon the wall in her grandfather's study all that could be seen were doctors certificates. "Perhaps he just has a fascination with the war."

"Well there's only one way to find out"

"Are you suggesting we raid my grandparent's attic?"

"Why not? It would be an adventure! It would be like old times. Come on, I know you want to. I have the keys!"

_What harm could a simple attic hunt do?_ Ellie thought as she and Noah made the trek back to the house armed with the small set of keys that had been given to Noah by his Aunt. At first Ellie was ambitious about their little expedition, she had never ventured into her grandparent's attic and hoped she would find clues to their past however as they reached the door to the loft Ellie wondered whether she was really ready to open the door to the past for in the back of Ellie's mind she knew that somehow this was wrong. There was no going back as Noah began to place the key in the bronze lock. With a quick turn to the right the door clicked open and creaked to reveal the darkened stairs before them.

"After you" Noah proclaimed after finding the light switch on the opposing wall.

It did not take much to get Ellie up those stairs, with a deep breath she slowly began to climb, finding some reassurance in the fact that Noah was only steps behind her. As they reached the floor the false light emitted from several dusted lampshades guided their eyes to the collection of wardrobes and boxes. An assortment of items of different decades covered each surface as the duo split in different directions in a hope they would discover something interesting. Noah headed to the left finding an old closet full of elegant 1920's evening gowns and dinner jackets. Ellie however veered to the right to where a lonely typewriter lay; beside it were several books, mostly cookbooks from the 1970s. Not satisfied by her find Ellie decided to search the draws of the workbench that the typewriter sat upon. Most were filled with garbage, old receipts and drawings however, as she came to last draw, Ellie found something she had not been expecting; a script. Taking the play out of its resting place, Ellie gave it a closer inspection.

_The Trials of Arabella_

By Briony Tallis dedicated to my dear Robbie Turner.

"Oh my God" Ellie didn't know what to think, hundreds of questions entered her mind as the script fell to the floor alerting Noah at once.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he replied picking up the dropped paper as he noticed the confusion that was washed over Ellie's face.

"That play, that...that thing is written by Briony Tallis"

"Briony Tallis? The author of all those Romance novels? But what's it doing here?"

Ellie shook her head, unable to comprehend the numerous questions that were entering it. Where did her grandparents get hold of a play that was written so many years ago and by an author they despised? Did they know the woman? Or perhaps they knew Robbie Turner..

_Robbie Turner_ Ellie thought, was this the same Robbie Turner epitomised in Briony's recent novel? Ellie couldn't be sure. But what she was sure of was that she needed answers and she knew that they lied with those on floors below.

**I'm not really pleased with this chapter but I'm glad of the progress it has made in the story. I am however considering whether I should continue with this story due to the fact that no-one seems to read it and I believe it is quite obvious where it's heading however, if I get a good response to this chapter I'll continue. I just want to make sure that what I write is enjoyable.**


End file.
